Year C Advent 1 2018 We Will See

Year C Advent 1, 2 December 2018 

St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA 

“We Will See”  

Collect: Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen  

Jeremiah 33:14-16 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: "The Lord is our righteousness."  

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith.  Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.  

Luke 21:25-36 Jesus said, "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."  Then he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.  "Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."  

There is a Chinese folk story of an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. "Such bad luck," they said sympathetically.   "We will see," the farmer replied. 

The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. "How wonderful," the neighbors exclaimed.  "We will see," replied the old man. The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune. "We will see," answered the farmer.   

The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son's leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out. "We will see," said the farmer.  

We will see. It could be good. It could be bad. The value of whatever IT is is yet to be determined.   

Daily we are inundated with information. The amount of information created yearly has become exponential. In Thomas Jefferson’s day, he had read most of the books that were available to be read. We could not keep up with a newspaper fully, much less all the books that our country creates, even less the world. Because of this firehose of information coming at us ALL THE TIME, one of the greatest spiritual needs of our time is Discernment. How do we read the signs that we have been given?  

Do we even recognize that we have been given signs? 

When we do not know what we are looking at, we miss the message and the meaning. We probably even miss what it is we are looking at.   

And if we do clue in and see the signs, we need to take the next step and see what it is that they mean.  

So often when we hear prophecies, whether in the Old Testament or the New, we see them with dark foreboding. They are scary, but they are scary to the status quo. Things will not be as they are or how they have been. Jesus’ words today are troublesome: 

"There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory.” 

Now the irony of all of this is that we are constantly and daily undergoing change. Change is like gravity, it never lets up. And because that, we fight it, like we fight gravity with much of what we say and do. But Jesus is saying two things about the signs we are given, and the changes that are promised. 

1. 1. We are told that the reason for the coming hardships and change are for our best. Jesus said: “Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." It is for our Redemption that these things are taking place. It is not a punishment. It is not destruction for destruction’s sake. We are given the warning that this will all be worth it in the end. I am reminded of this every time when I come into town, and pass the neverending (or so it seems) construction of the Wawa at Rt. 54 and Rt. 1. There had to be a desolation of what was, there had to be a preparation, there had to be a leveling out, and then what was new could spring forth. This was all done for the new to emerge. Now it is just a gas station. But think on what it would take for the Redemption of the Universe. The desolation, the preparation, the leveling, and then the emergence of the new. It is dark and scary unless we see the Sign of the New. If it is true for a Wawa, think of how true it is for our Redemption. 

2. 2. Jesus goes on with this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” When we recognize the changes, we learn to appreciate and and not fear them. The budding of the trees is the promise of spring. (This is the Virginia re-interpretation of Jesus’ story). We know what we are seeing, and we know what we are looking at when it takes place. Jesus is telling us, when the world seems crazy and hopeless to stay true to what we know. He speaks of Heaven and Earth passing away, all the things that seem to permanent to us are not. But his words, the words of Hope and Promise, that God is in control, and that when bad things happen God’s redemptive hand is at work, this is what is Permanent. That is forever. Change will happen. Sometimes dark, hard, scary change, but God is in control and working for our best. Thanks be to God!  

Being ready when we see the signs, being ready when the day comes, it leads us to take a longer view than we normally take. It is December. Next year my oldest starts high school. Now in August we had to start looking and planning for the choices we will need to make about her high school choices for fall a year away. We had to look at dates, make plans, fill out forms, ask for references. It is a long, detailed, and concerning process. But when the day comes for the decisions, we will hopefully have the luxury of great choices. And if we take so much time, effort, and emotional energy over high school, how much more important is life?  

What are you doing today to shape your tomorrow?  

What are you doing today to shape the rest of your life?  

What are you doing today to shape your forever?  

What we do here today echoes through eternity. [Thanks Gladiator !] 

When the time comes, will you have put in the work on your soul?  

Folk singer Tracy Chapman sang it this way: 

I thought, thought that I could find a way  
To beat the system  
To make a deal and have no debts to pay  
I'd take it all take it all I'd run away  
Me for myself first class and first rate  
But all that you have is your soul 
Don't be tempted by the shiny apple  
Don't you eat of a bitter fruit  
Hunger only for a taste of justice  
Hunger only for a world of truth  
'Cause all that you have is your soul 

The day is coming, whether you are ready or not. You have been warned.  

You have been warned so that you can be ready.  

You have been warned for your best.  

You have been warned because you are loved. 

Lastly, remember the story that we started with. Like the farmer, when the world is crying like Chicken Little, may we take a moment, may we catch our breath. When the destination seems like we are riding to Heck in a handbasket, may we hold onto the Hope we have been given and reply with a collective “We Will See.” It could be good. It could be bad.  We can say, “We Will See,” for we will. And it is my Trust that the One who started with us on this path will be the one who is there at the End. 

As Jesus promises: “Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." Our Redemption. Our Redemption. ‘Cause all that you have is your soul.  

Amen